“Demand Doesn’t Disappear. It Relocates”: Jessica Saunders, Eyeota

Why It Matters

The reallocation reshapes media planning, measurement and data partnership models, making audience continuity the new competitive advantage.

Key Takeaways

• AI search usage doubled, clicks declining.
• Budgets moving to CTV and DOOH.
• Privacy‑compliant audience data is now essential.
• Persistent identity links streaming, mobile, out‑of‑home.
• Shared data spine enables portable audience activation.

Pulse Analysis

The rapid rise of conversational AI is redefining how consumers find information. Daily interactions with AI search tools have more than doubled in just months, while traditional search click‑through rates are slipping. This behavioural shift reduces the number of clicks marketers can capture, prompting a strategic migration of budgets toward environments where attention is earned rather than solicited, notably connected TV and digital out‑of‑home. Brands that recognize this pivot can capture premium, addressable inventory before the market fully adjusts.

In an ecosystem where explicit intent signals fade, audience intelligence must evolve from isolated data points to continuous, portable profiles. High‑quality, privacy‑compliant third‑party data—enriched with identity resolution, recency, and provenance—becomes the cornerstone of effective targeting across streaming, mobile, and emerging surfaces. Marketers need to prioritize data that reflects real‑world interests and consumption patterns, ensuring that audience definitions remain consistent regardless of the channel. This approach mitigates the risk of amplified inefficiencies that arise from poor‑quality inputs in automated optimization.

Planning and measurement are also undergoing a paradigm shift. With CTV and DOOH lacking deterministic click paths, brands are adopting audience‑centric, cross‑channel frameworks that emphasize lift, reach quality, and frequency management over last‑touch attribution. Successful execution relies on a shared data spine that supports enrichment, identity resolution, and privacy‑forward activation across partners. By building interoperable data infrastructure and partnering with providers that offer transparent sourcing and validated matching, marketers can maintain audience continuity, activate portable segments, and sustain performance as attention migrates across the evolving media landscape.